Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pretentiously

/pɹɪˈtɛnʃəsliː/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.66 in modern English

Syllables: pre-ten-tious-ly
IPA: /pɹɪˈtɛnʃəsliː/

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a manner with unwarranted claim to importance or distinction.

adv

Ostentatiously; in a manner intended to impress others.

adv

In a manner demanding of skill or daring.

Example Sentences

"Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy—[…]—distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its flavor."

Etymology

Etymology tree English pretentious Middle English -ly English -ly English pretentiously From pretentious + -ly.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pɹɪˈtɛnʃəsliː/
British English: /pɹɪˈtɛnʃəsliː/

Inflected Forms

more pretentiously (comparative) most pretentiously (superlative)

Frequently Paired Words

pretentious pretentiousness

Questions

How do you pronounce pretentiously?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɹɪˈtɛnʃəsliː/.
What does pretentiously mean?: In a manner with unwarranted claim to importance or distinction.
Where does pretentiously come from?: Etymology tree English pretentious Middle English -ly English -ly English pretentiously From pretentious + -ly.

How to pronounce pretentiously

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pretentiously”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɹɪˈtɛnʃəsliː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “pretentiously” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.